How Scotland Reached Its Emissions Reduction Target Six Years Early

Six years ahead of schedule, Scotland has beaten its climate emissions reductions target. Rather than high-fiving the Scottish government for this milestone, it's the people of Scotland who need to give themselves a pat on the back for reaching the target.

The Scottish government set a target to cut emissions by 42% by 2020. Between 1990 and 2014, Scotland's emissions dropped by 46%. While the Scottish government is obviously delighted by the achievement, climate campaigners have their doubts about the government's involvement.

How did Scotland reduce its emissions?

Rather than big changes to government policies, Scotland reached its target through a combination of factors. According to Jim Densham, a spokesman for Stop Climate Chaos, the target has been met "because of the loss of heavy industry, warmer winter weather, our changing share of European emissions credits and some government policies".

Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish climate change secretary praised the power of behavioral change in regards to Scotland cutting their carbon emissions. Cunningham explained that something as small and simple as people turning down their heating could have reduced residential emissions in 2014, illustrating the importance of small changes.

While warmer winter weather (most probably a result of climate change) means we shouldn't celebrate too hard yet, drawing attention to the importance of individual action is what 1 Million Women is all about.

The importance of individual change

Tackling an issue as big as climate change means coming at it from all angles. It's a combination of behavioral change and government action that will bring climate justice. It's hard not to become overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of problems the world faces. But as 1 Million Women founder, Natalie Isaacs told the room during our recent 'Climate Stories From The Heart' event, "To keep warming below 1.5 degrees, we all have to take responsibility. We all have to act."

I became aware of how much our individual behaviors contribute to the world around us after seeing first-hand the degradation of marine life due to plastic pollution. I love to scuba dive at an area that is home to a population of critically endangered seahorses. Without fail, after every dive I leave the water with hundreds of plastic straws that have been carelessly discarded or floated in from Sydney Harbour. I began to change my habits and reflect on the changes I want to see, reducing the amount of single-use plastic I used.

Start small, like remembering to bring your re-usable coffee cup to work or asking for no straw in your drink. Australians use a whopping 1 billion take-away coffee cups every year, and 90% end up in landfill. Imagine if we all brought our own cup with us to have our morning caffeine fix? Tweaking our habits can have immense impact.

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It's not only our behaviors that can trigger big changes for the environment. It's our wallets. As consumers, how we spend our dollars determines the kind of world we want to live in. Ethical consumerism is on the rise, with people becoming increasingly aware of what their purchases fund and choosing alternatives that pave the way for an environmentally sound world. For example, supporting sustainable food producers who make it easy to see exactly where your food has come from

Both individuals and companies are beginning to divest from businesses that support fossil fuels, with the first joint catholic divestment from oil, coal and gas recently taking place as four Australian catholic organisations announced their divestment from fossil fuels.

As Densham said in regards to Scotland's recent achievement, "Individual action is important but Scottish government needs to lead with the big policies for major emission reductions." While we continue to champion for big changes from government, it's up to us to take charge and change our habits.

Read this next: New Analysis: Australia Can Halve Its Emissions By 2030

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1 Million Women is more than our name, it's our goal! We're building a movement of strong, inspirational women acting on climate change by leading low-carbon lives. To make sure that our message has an impact, we need more women adding their voice. We need to be louder. Joining us online means your voice and actions can be counted. We need you.